“Out of bed now,” I say, though he isn’t on the bed. As usual. He’s on the couch, where he works on the computer, where he interacts with friends on Facebook, where he watches television then studies a few hours more, where eventually – he sleeps. I take in the beauty of him as he […]
Archives for 2011
Triggers
When moods are easily triggered by elements from our past.
Connection, Communal Living, and the Future
It may have been the second or third time I saw the show that I realized: communal living – family, friends, once-upon-a-time strangers – maybe this is the answer. The answer to keeping excitement in a household. The answer to empty nest. The infusion of energy and array of attitudes to fight the urge to […]
Lost Keys
It was about ten days ago. The phone call. He had forgotten or misplaced his key. Again. I took a deep breath, dropped what I was doing, and went to the rescue. Again. I’ve been told repeatedly not to stress over the fact that my son loses his keys, and I’m constantly running to the […]
Maintenance
It’s not just about eating right, sleeping enough, or regular exercise. It’s not just about washing your face and moisturizing a little, picking out the right Dior shadows for the lids, Lancome blush for the cheeks, Bobbi Brown for the lips. It’s not about the perfect Little Black Dress. (Sorry, Coco.) It’s more. So much […]
Guts
No time. No energy. No money. (And every other excuse in the book.) But they aren’t excuses. They’re resource constraints, I tell myself. It’s assessment time. Truth time. This is a period of transition for me, as I imagine it is for many of us who are between jobs, post marriages, about to enter a […]
Scrambled Eggs and Spinach Salad
You know those days that start out routinely, and then one little thing in the schedule goes awry? Oh, nothing ominous mind you – but my writing was kidnapped. My breakfast (such as it is) was waylaid. Every email, every phone call, every errand – sacrificed on the lunatic alter of What-Else-Could-Move-At-A-Snail’s-Pace. Ah, but there […]
Perfect (Sort Of)
Flash fiction: Perfect. Entirely up to us. Sort of.
“Living a Life That’s Not Working”
Recently I read words I could relate to, written by a woman who was feeling – at that moment – overwhelmed and trapped. No matter what she tries – and she is working hard in so many ways – she lapses back into a sort of “creep” as she calls it. It is something many […]
Two Parents, One Child, No Unemployment
I was struck by it. How easy it must be. Surely, they have worries – just not the same ones that I do. Or you do. Not the concerns of the single mothers I have known – the logistical nightmares dealing with an uncooperative or unavailable ex, the fatigue that never seems to dissipate no […]